Form-fitting boot



sept. zo 1927.

L. H. LHoLLrlngaR FORM FITTINGBOOT Filed Feb. 6. 1926 40 fabric such as rub fabric',y to provide comfort in conjunction Patentes sept.A 20,1927.

UNITED sTArEs 1,643,125 PAT-ENT- oFFlcE.

LESLIE H. LfBZOLLIER, F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TU THE B. F. GOODBICH COMPANY,

, 0F NEW.YORK, N. Y., A CQRPORATION 0F NEW YORK. V

:roma-FITTING noo'r.

- .Application led February 6, '1926. Serial No. 86,602.

This invention relates to boots and especially to rubber boots, and its chief ob ect is to provide a water-tight boot adapte to fit closely about the ankle yet to be easily put on and removed.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 isa perspective view of al boot embodying my invention in its preferred form, as worn, a portion of the rubber cover beingFbroken away. ig. 2is a perspective view of the same,

with the fastening device released, for puttin on or taking off the boot.

ig. 3 is an elevation of the boot as worn. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the boot, on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the boot is formed with a comparatively slender ankle portion and the -wall of the boot is formed with a slit 10 having closed ends and extend- -ing only from a point over the instep toa point just above t e ankle. j

Extending across the slit within the boot is a water-proof closure member 11 resembling a bellowsutongue, the said member having itsv entire peripheral margin built into the wall of the boot throughout an annular zone extending around the slit 10 at a distance therefrom, the closure member 11 having so such fullness as to permit the slit 10 to open v widely and being adapted to lie against the i ankle of the wearer in the folded condition L shown in Fig. 4 when the slit is closed.

A slide fastener of the well known type shown is preferably employed for closing j the' slit 10, although my inventionis not wholly limited thereto, and the jaw members v. 12, 12`of the fastener are preferably mountedvupon anchora `e strips 13, 13 of elastic erized, bias-cut or knitted with a close lit, the anchora e strips dening the slit` 10 .andnbeing bui t into the wall of the boot at their outer margins and underling the. rubber cover 14 of the boot, as'

own clearly in Fig. 4. The slide fastener, when used, includes an actuating slide 15 and stops 16, 16 therefor mounted/ upon the respective anchorage 59 strips 13 at the upper end of the slit 10.

The rubber cover 14 of the boot extends integrally over the entire surface of the boot, except at the slit .10, and as the slit is closed against the'entrance of water by the bellowstion.

- the two rows of jaws for jominnd dislike closure member 11 the boot is water- 55 tlght throughout its height and is also formittlng, and yet may be readily put on and taken off. Further advantages are neatness of appearance and comfort to the wearer, the close tting ankle and elastic anchorage strips preventing-the boot from slidng up and down `excessively on the heel of the wearer. .Another advantage, over a boot in which the -vent and a fastening device therefor extend to the top of the boot, is that strains upon the fasteningdevice are avoided, and a fastening device of .the type shown may be closed throughout only a part of its extent, for comfort, without leavingthe upper part of the le portion open and without damaging the astening device in use.

Modifications may be resorted to without degrting from the scope of the invention'as de ed in the appended claims.

I claim: f 75 -1. A boot having a wall thereof formed with a slit having closed ends, a closure member for said slit .joined .about its' entire periphery to the wall of the boot, and fasten'- ing means f0rjoining and dis-joining the. slit-defining margins, Ithe said wall being 'of elastic construction in a region between the fastening means and the region of the closure members attachment to the wall.

,2. A boot as defined in claim 1 in which Y theclosurfrmember and the adjacent portions `of the wall are of water-proof construc- 3. Afboot having a wall thereof at the ankle portion formed with. a slit having closed4 ends, means for joining and dis-joining the slit-defining margins of the wall, and a closure member underlying the slit and sealed to-the wall, of the boot throughout an l annular zone circumscribing the slit, the said joining and` dis-joining means comprising rows of interlockin jaw membersmounte on the respective s it-defining margins and an actuating member slidably mounted on" joining them, and --the wall of the t being of elastic construct-ion in a zone defined by f ahline parallel and closely'adjacent to the s et. In witness whereof I have hereunto myhand this 11th day of January, 1926.

LESLIEl 1 1. LHOLLIER.

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